Dave Brailsford, the British Cycling performance director, urged caution in the days leading up to the world track championships, which opened here in Poland tonight, warning that his team would be unlikely to dominate as they did last year at the world championships and Olympics.

On the evidence of the opening session, he might have had a point, though two bronze and two silver medals in four events constitute relative rather than outright failure. It was a case of so near, yet so far, with Victoria Pendleton and Chris Newton taking bronze medals and Wendy Houvenaghel and the team sprinters claiming silvers.

Yet, while Pendleton declared herself "dead chuffed" with bronze in her weakest discipline, the 500-metre time-trial, and Newton could be satisfied with his bronze in the men's points race, a repeat of his performance in Beijing, for Houvenaghel there was bitter disappointment in her failure to upgrade the silver she won in Beijing to gold in the pursuit.

As in Beijing, where she faced her British team-mate Rebecca Romero in the final, Houvenaghel was the fastest qualifier and firm favourite prior to her final against Alison Shanks of New Zealand. But again she crumbled in the final, going considerably slower than she had in qualifying, while her rival upped her game.

For the 34-year-old Houvenaghel it was a disappointing outcome, though she was pragmatic in defeat and glad finally to win an individual medal after finishing fourth last year. "It's a bitter-sweet feeling," she said. "There was nothing wrong with my performance in the final; it's just that [Shanks] recovered better than me."

The other silver, for the team sprint trio of Jamie Staff, Jason Kenny and Matt Crampton, could be viewed more positively. Missing Sir Chris Hoy, who is injured, they ran their perennial rivals France as close as most expected them to and second to opponents whose domination of this event was broken by Team GB in Beijing is hardly a disaster.

Appearing to ignore Brailsford's caution, Pendleton had declared on the eve of the championships that she had her eye on four gold medals. Last night, she claimed that had been "tongue-in-cheek." She won bronze in her least favourite event behind two ­specialists, Simona Krupeckaite of Lithuania and her old rival Anna Meares of Australia.

"This medal is special in its own way because I've never won a medal in this event before," said Pendleton. "I've never been close – the best I've finished is about sixth, so I'm dead chuffed.

"When I said I wanted to win four gold medals it was a little bit tongue-in-cheek," she continued. "I'm riding four events, which is a new thing for me. I felt, realistically, that for me to [finish on the] podium in this event was probably about the best I could do."

Today could see the British team resume their usual domination, with five events, four of which represent solid gold medal-winning opportunities. Much of the attention is likely to be focused, though, on the men's scratch race, featuring the surprise return to track racing of Mark Cavendish.

Fresh, if that is the word, from winning the 298km Milan-San Remo classic on Saturday, Cavendish will contest the 15km race, mainly as a warm-up for Saturday's Madison, in which he will team up with his fellow Isle of Man rider, Peter Kennaugh.

It is not just the British media who will be watching Cavendish closely, with the 23-year-old's victory in one of cycling's 'monuments' establishing him as arguably the hottest property in the sport.

There is a surreal aspect to his return to track, given the riches that lie on the road, and the bitterness that has poured forth from Cavendish since his last appearance on the boards at the Beijing Olympics. He is yet to explain what has prompted his return, having said he would never race on the track again, but his performance tonight could offer a clue.